It is important to distinguish between a puzzle and a mystery; how you approach the search for a solution for each involves a different process and skills.

Recognize that folks may confuse some basic requirements with doing enough to meet some objective; that is, they are focusing only on what is necessary, without appreciating that this alone will not be sufficient.

Someday things will be going from bad to worse.  Perhaps you are stuck working on a task and things keep degrading further or, try what you might, things keep devolving.  At this point, it is time to stop doing what got you to this point — you are in a hole and the first step to getting out is to stop digging deeper.

Some readers may infer from non-standard writing that the person doing the crafting was either ignorant of the proper forms or too lazy to proofread, neither of which reflects well on the writer.

When considering solutions, try something easy, inexpensive, or not disruptive first.  The simple fix may work and risks little.

A flawed decision-making process has the potential to undercut group cohesion, especially if the implementation of the decision fails to meet the team’s objectives.

There is a saying, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras.”  The point is that you should look first to the most obvious cause.

Not every problem yields to brute force.  Further, some problems can be solved faster or more easily with a different approach rather than more of the same.

Employ good design and best practices for public speaking.  Improving these skills may be one of the most productive investments of your career.

Beware of assuming something is when it may only appear to be.

Consider helping anyone consuming your communication, analysis, proposal, or other information by setting a specific time, a time frame, or a relative time category.

Do not simply add a new item to a list; always place the addition into a priority ranking. When your manager asks you to perform a new duty, make certain you review your current, prioritized task list, and be clear where the new activity fits.

A commitment binds you to an activity at a qualitatively and quantitatively different level than mere involvement and, therefore, be selective.

Accepting an imperfect but useful implementation of some plan may be fine.  Holding out for a perfect or even better plan may not be productive, resulting in no progress at all. 

Recognize that when you set expectations and meet or exceed them, affected parties are pleased.  Conversely, when you set expectations and come up short, folks are disappointed.

A key concept in finance is called the time value of money.  The idea is that people prefer to have a certain amount of money today rather than the same amount in the future.

Approach others’ statistics with a degree of skepticism and try to understand what is being reported, and perhaps why it is being stated a particular way.  Similarly, consider how you should report your statistics.

Things may have gotten out of hand.  If you had been faced with the current situation you would have taken immediate action, but troubles crept up slowly and you didn’t appreciate it.

Be an informed consumer of compound interest, what you must pay on what you borrow, and how prices can rise over time.

Overall, organizations, teams, and individuals tend to focus, enjoy, and be good at certain facets of business and it is beneficial to know who you are and who you are not.